The ThunderBlogs

“Pphhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeoooooo…” men and women gathered at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House collectively released their lower lips and their inhibitions as they dropped their limp torsos over their feet. Anna Baignoche, the ring leader made small humming sounds and instructed them to slowly lift themselves into a standing position. “Aaaaaooooaaaaaaaooooooaaaaaooommmm…” the room resounded with the sound of their humming. Their eyes, now open, glimmered with satisfaction and expectation. The warm up complete, it was time to get down to business.

Local Vocals reconvened for their fall season this Monday. Led by Baignoche, the community choir meet once a week to sing songs from all over the world: Bluegrass, Afro-Cuban, Jazz, Samba Bulgarian, Japanese. They don’t sing for a concert or a show, but rather for the sheer joy of it. Singing with the choir requires no formal training or experience. If you can talk, you can sing, it says on their handout.

Sawn-you may-oo, Vay doosh kar keng.” Hand-written, phonetic, lyrics were posted on a wall for everyone to see. The group divided itself into Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Base sections, and Baignoche gave everyone their parts. Their vocal chords limber from the somewhat unusual vocal warm up, the mixed choir of first timers and experts delivered flawless harmonies, singing in languages they didn’t understand, making sounds that many of them had probably never made before. They started the evening with some old favourites like “Oh when the saints” and quickly moved on to a song from South Africa. They followed it with a Brazilian Samba song in Portugese and finished off with a traditional Scottish lyric that brought tears to some of the singers eyes.

After an hour and a half of singing, dancing, sharing stories and information, the group made their way out of the neighbourhood house, past walls with posters and banners for Immigrant and refugee health services, Citizen Preparation Workshops, Job shops for immigrants, and an English Corner to practice speaking the language. Outside, the aroma from an Ethiopian restaurant mingled with the smell of Kentucky fried chicken. A Bangladeshi-run meat shop (directly opposite the Sri Lankan-run grocery store) advertised halal meat and Bengali cuisine. “(After) all that singing I need a second dinner,” said a grey haired soprano as she walked to her car.  The choir split into smaller groups, and samosa seekers and Subway supporters spread out into the multicultural experience of East Van.